He will be the last rookie to get that money. No one wants an uncapped year next year...except the agents.....So there will be a New Bargaining agreeement with a Rookie wage scale...like the NBA.
I think he can play he has a very strong arm and a big target to throw to in Calvin Johnson. If Dan Orvolsky put up mediocre to decent numbers in Detroit, I think Stafford will do just fine... However, I think Mark Sanchez will be a bust...just like Matt Lienart
I don't care how good of a QB he is, but all I know is that the Lions have garbage interior linemen on both sides of the ball and no QB can "save a franchise" while running for his life and playing 15 minutes a game from behind the entire time because your defense can't stop the run.
With these types of paydays for the top 2/3 players in the draft, a lot of teams would almost rather have the 5/6 pick in the draft.
It was said that the Lions would be smarter to let the clock lapse and let someone else pick #1 overall, it would save them tons of $$$ plus they have so many team needs they couldnt possibly go wrong with the pick.
I bet Sam Bradford is hating his life right about now. He's probably going to get drafted top 5 next year for a $10 mil contract.
I think he's potentially a franchise quarterback, and with the right coaching/support he has the tools to be a top 10 QB in the league. He really is naturally talented. Still, $41 million guaranteed for someone who has never played a snap of NFL football and has a significant probability of being a bust is just terrible.
Good for Stafford. He has set his family up for generations. Luckily for the Lions, it's mathematically impossible for them to do worse than 0-16 again...though they're trying. That franchise is in a spiral it might never come out of. With the economy in the Detroit area among the worst in the nation, the team is going to struggle financially and suck horribly. Not a good combination.
That's the other headscratcher about this deal. With the terrible economic situation in Detroit and potential uncertainty of future team revenues, what kind of general manager decides to commit $41 million to a single, completely unproven player?
In the right system he could succeed. But he's going to a team with no weapons and is doomed to fail. Plus it's not even clear if he's better than Mark Sanchez.
I would hardly say that having Calvin Johnson is having "no weapons." But, if by no weapons, you mean no offensive line to keep him upright and keep him from David Carr syndrome, I see your point. And like someone said, Sam Bradford missed out, but at least he's not going to the Lions. He'll end up EARNING a contract of this size once his rookie deal is done anyways. I think if you see a rookie scale be put through, you'll start seeing rookies signing 3 and 4 year deals instead of 5 and 6 years deals...
